Just before Christmas, I ran out of soap. I’d have thought it impossible but it happened.
Hence, I have been making soap galore. I plan to have a small stall at the Bridgetown Markets on Easter Sunday so I am trying to build up a range of soaps to sell. I love those in the top photo. I think they are really cute.
Here are some of my soaps all packaged and ready for the stall. We are putting each bar in a little organza bag. I was going to go all ivory but the purple ones look so cool I have decided to have some colour. I ordered 100 mixed coloured bags today.
Maus made the display boxes for me. They are perfect. They fit about 10 bars of soap. Our idea is that they will make it easy to carry the soap to the stall and will double as the display.
Maus has been really busy. She has made me 11 display boxes, with one more promised for tomorrow. She is very good to me – I think she must love me :).
If you know Maus, you would know how amazing this is (not that she loves me but that she has already made 11 boxes). Usually, I have to nag her to make me something but this time she is way ahead of me. I only have four varieties of soap ready to be packaged. The rest are curing. I don’t think I will have time to make soap for all the boxes. Soap has to cure for, at least, one month so I only have this stay in Bridgetown to make all the soap I need.
Check out the wood on the ends of the boxes. It proves what a hoarder Maus is. It is Oregon from our original bathroom in Perth. We had the bathroom renovated in 1997 and Maus has kept the wood from the linen cupboard all this time in case it came in handy. And it has!!! The house was built in 1926 so it is pretty old wood.
I have also made two lots of cupcakes with plans for one more batch. In the front are Jaffa cupcakes and, in the background, cherry choc cakes. I am hoping they will be popular with the kids.
Here is a close up of my cherry choc cupcake.
And here is the Jaffa. The hearts and the sprinkles are made of sugar which should just melt when the soap is used for the first time.
I have also been making guest soaps galore. My sister, Vickie, has ordered 100 small heart-themed soaps. She is going to donate them to her local primary school’s Mother’s Day stall. My sister, Sandra, gave me two heart-shaped moulds for my birthday so it was fortuitous. The hardest part, when making these soaps, is getting the heart central. We haven’t quite conquered it.
Vickie indicated the boys may want to give their mums blue soaps so I made these guys. Notice how smooth the edges of these soaps are compared to the pink ones in the above photo. Maus didn’t think I did a good job smoothing the edges so she sat up one night until 2:00am and smoothed them for me. She used a very fine sandpaper and a damp cloth.
Here is a close up. She did a mighty job, didn’t she? I did indicate that it wasn’t worth the hours and hours she spent doing it but she was on a mission and could not be stopped.
When making soap, there are always bits left over and shavings from when the bars are cut and cleaned up. I have been making soap balls with these bits, not wanting to waste the perfectly good soap. I hope I can sell them.
Passion Fruit Garden 
Reblogged this on Our Cocooning World.
I saw this and got so excited I felt like booking a flight just to come to the fair! I love every single one and I’ll bet you sell out before the fair is over. I was going to guess that Maus made those boxes and then read down a few lines…sure enough she did! They’re beautiful and I’m betting that if your do another fair you’ll need all those boxes and more.
I still say they look good enough to eat and I’m guessing a little tag, at least on the cupcakes saying not edible might be a good idea. Shall we take bets on someone snacking?
Good luck and enjoy all the compliments that I’m sure you’ll get.
Hi Diane. I wish I was as optimistic as you. I am nervous that I won’t sell even one. You should come and visit,… next winter. We will have plenty of sun for you. You could even take some home to melt some of your snow.
I know what you mean about second guessing yourself about selling any and different fairs seem to have unique markets but I just think these soaps are irresistible.
I’d sure love to pop over there during the winter. Believe it or not though we having one of our mildest winters in decades. Almost no snow and although we’ve had some cold weather, it’s been quickly followed by springlike temperatures. Of course this was the year my husband bought all new ski equipment and a season pass to the mountain.
It’s always the way isn’t it? It hasn’t been too hot here this year. I am looking forward to some rain, the tanks are nearly empty.
I’ve said before, Glenda, that your soaps would sell out over here, not doubt about it. Love the polka dotted bars and the kids’ hearts are quite cute. Maus sure did make some attractive, quality display boxes. I bet you get a few inquiries whether they’re for sale, too. Good luck at the market, though I doubt you’ll need any. 🙂
Thanks John, Maus can’t take orders. She has a list a mile long of things she has to make for me 🙂
Wow Glenda, wow! They are all so good. I’ve commented before on the soap with the circles as I think they are just plain fun. You know those little hearts would be perfect for baby showers? Make sure you make a little sign for your stall, suggesting that. If you want to take orders and stay up sanding the edges to 2am that is. Snaps to Maus for being so dedicated and for making the boxes. Before you even told me I knew that she had made them. She’s just so handy.
Thanks for all your kind words Fi
Best of luck Glenda I am sure your soaps will sell out fast and the cupcake soaps are amazing and so real like. Gorgeous display boxes Maus… you both make a great team 🙂
Thanks Moya, we are just having fun. It is a great hobby.
I bet the cupcake soaps sell out first – they are so clever and such a novelty.
Hi Nancy, I am hoping the little girls will like the cupcakes.
Hi Glenda. Egg shaped balls from the scraps would be great for your Easter stall
Kaye, I am so embarrassed I never thought of that. Genius and such a simple idea
They look amazing Aunty Glen! I love them all! Well done
Thanks so much Kate.
Glenda you should not have any trouble selling these beautiful soaps. The boxes look fantastic. Maus is so clever. What a partnership. Good Luck.
Hi Deb, I am so amazed Maus has made me 12 boxes. It will take a while for me to make that much soap.
The cupcake soaps look good enough to eat. I’m sure they will be very popular with the kids. I know my grand daughter would buy one if she saw these. Bit too far to travel from Melbourne for soap though.
Hi Yvonne, I made some at Christmas time and everyone wanted them for their grand kids. They are a nice novelty.
I love your soap adventures, Glenda. Beautiful, beautiful soaps. Best of all at the multi-coloured ones in the top photo. Nice touch with the organza bags.
Thanks Debi. I am having so much fun.
They are so beautiful.
Thanks Josephine.
Love your soaps, very pretty. The round balls of soap are so practical to use and store in the little soap dish on my vanity bench.
Hello, would this be Emily?
Fabulous Glenda. I’m sure your soap stall will be a big success. Love those boxes and the fact that the wood has been stored for all those years just waiting for the right project. How do you make the soap balls?
Hi Anne. The balls are 60g each. I grate the soap on the fine grater attachment on my food processor. I then put the grated soap (not too much at a time – enough for 2 or 3 balls only) into the food processor with the metal blade. I add 2 or 3 (at most) teaspoons of water and process the soap until it begins to clump. I then weigh 60gs of soap and roll it into a ball. Once it is in a ball shape if you roll it around on the table it becomes really smooth.
Thanks Glenda. I’ll try this with all the scraps of soap I have, though mine won’t look as pretty as yours because you have such groovy colours.